well maybe not put so badly like that but if we are getting alot of dupes from 1 subject we should be making a specific point of saying to newcomers "read these to see if you r problem fits into one of those categories". Then we wouldn't have the dupes and that would be the big argument not to have the [SOLVED] mark on some posts, gone.

I don't really think having a [solved] tag would really do all that much to prevent dupes. Currently, on topics with vast numbers of duplicates, one thread that's "definitive" is selected and made sticky. All dupes of that thread point to this sticky thread when they are moved to the duplicates forum. The result of all this is only a fair decrease in the rate of new duplicates created. Some of these sticky threads have had pretty clear titles saying that they solve a particular problem and yet there are still a significant number of dupes posted on that topic. Thus, I'm not really sure how much good a non-sticky [solved] tag would do.

The two big things with reducing the number of duplicates are searching and early detection. If we can find a non-annoying way to get people to search (effective searching, which we may/may not have here depending on your opinion) before posting or if we can find a way to catch topics that seem to be popular and creating many duplicates early enough to make the sticky thread more prominent, then we'll be able to really attack the issue of having duplicate threads. Also, neither of these improvements would hinder future use of a thread for trouble shooting/support in related areas the way a thread already marked as [solved] would._________________if i never try anything, i never learn anything..
if i never take a risk, i stay where i am..

actually masseya, i was saying that more care could be taken to make definitive sticky threads about more of the worst offenders of the duplicates. This doesn't have to be done by mod/admin, you could say "these 20 subjects need to have definitive versions from these threads". Thus all that would be needed is a Please Look In Here First section on the forums which itself could be split into the sections we have already (kernel, multimedia, desktop etc).

This would have a few added bonuses:

It would negate the need for a "solved" button

It would be infitely easier to navigate

Newcomers could be directed straight there by flashing colours if needs be...

It would be easier to keep up to date with new technology (always a problem...)

It would give forum users a chance to give something back

It would mean mods and admins spending less time moving things to the duplicates bin.

All threads could be locked until such a point as they need revising.

This would then have the added advantage of less posts in the technical forums.

The forums would probably get a flood of people from other distros because of the searches through google (this would be great advertising)

It would stop PJP from getting to 20,000 posts too soon just by writing "dupe"

Put a list out for people to do 20 threads that will become sticky in a new "Instant Help" section. I'm sure you'll get plenty of volunteers, once those have been completed have a look through and put another 20 out etc etc etc_________________"Sex: breakfast of champions" - James Hunt

No, just one we stopped using early on. I decided whatever the reason for the 'Moved from' tag, it was no longer sufficient for me to post it (most of the time)._________________lolgov. 'cause where we're going, you don't have civil liberties.

as a person who spends ALOT of time on the forums providing support, i find [SOLVED] markers in subject headers to be especially helpful in deciding where i should allocate my time. fwiw, i scan through at least 4 of the forums multiple times a day looking for interesting problems to solve.

needless to say, its quite a waste of time that could otherwise be well-spent if a Good Samaritan ends up reading about somebody's problem, understanding it in detail and formulating a solution for them, only to find that the problem really isn't a problem any more.

i think that some sort of [SOLVED] marker would be good for the community, in that it will allow the people who are trying to help other people to wisely allocate their time where it is needed instead of mis-allocating it by reviewing problems that have already been solved.

the idea of centralizing the responsibility for maintaining some sort of [SOLVED] indicator by placing the responsibility on the admins seems unnecessarily burdensome. that just adds more work for the admins, who are already busy people. right now we seem to be working with somewhat of an "honor" system where the individual poster is respoinsible for marking their own threads, and the responsibility for posting is distributed rather than centralized. this system seems to work well, but i've just recently learned that its not an official policy. would encouraging it comprise a simple solution to the problem?_________________.
Stage 1/3 | Jackass! | Rockhopper! | Thanks | Google Sucks

What about if we had a SOLVED button where all the solved thread went into a big pot and every day the admins searched through them, found the ones that were new probles and added them to the "FAQ" section. That way the FAQ (or whatever section, it could just be a sticky) could be the first stop for any user.

Also the names for the problems need a SERIOUS overhaul. Some of them are actually hard to find out your problem in, especially if they contain several answers for serveral problems like the Grub Error Collection (their needs to be about 6 sub-sections for that)_________________"Sex: breakfast of champions" - James Hunt

Others can, I won't. I've seen too many replies to "SOLVED" threads with a user needing another solution to the (at least seemingly) same problem._________________lolgov. 'cause where we're going, you don't have civil liberties.

I was unable to add the [SOLVED] tag to the top message since the buffer was full. Maybe it would be a good idea to add a separate [SOLVED] checkbox the top of the message beside the subject line. Maybe phpBB already has the capability? What do you think?

I have been in gentoo for about a year. I have seen that it is common practice to add "[SOLVED]" when a thread has been solved. Nevertheless, this is not included in Forum Guidelines. When answering questions, I have asked to add this tag to the thread when the issue has been solved, and I am not sure if I should ask for it.

Go ahead and ask. I don't, but adding solved is a good practice, so I don't see anything wrong with asking. It's not necessary for it be a formal or official thing. It's just a convention that's developed over time because it serves a useful function. As long as your request isn't something like "Why don't you add [SOLVED] you stupid bastard? You got your damn answer didn't you?" or "Add [SOLVED] or I'll make you bleed", the moderators aren't going to come down on you. If another member bitches about it, screw 'em. I doubt anyone would though._________________Thomas S. Howard

I can only say that anyone who managed to add hacks/mods to phpbb knows that adding a similar feature is as hard as writing like 10 rows of php code and adding a column in a table, and official upgrades are not a pain with such a small modification

Go ahead and ask. I don't, but adding solved is a good practice, so I don't see anything wrong with asking. It's not necessary for it be a formal or official thing. It's just a convention that's developed over time because it serves a useful function.

I just got an idea, why don't install some fixed button to this forum so when a person get its answer or its problem solved he just click up the fixed button and get its topic title prefixed by the tag [FIXED].
I saw this on a french development forums and it rox (developpez.net)
And here's the URL of the mod (note according to the presentation, this mod is bug free): http://florian.developpez.com/mods/topictypes/